Students complete winter Med 101 internship

Marlborough – Seven Marlborough High School (MHS) juniors recently completed a five-week "Med 101" internship at Marlborough Hospital. A partnership between Marlborough Hospital and the Metro Southwest Regional Employment Board, this is the second year the internship was available to students.

MHS students had a chance to learn about many career paths in the medical field and were able to build a stronger interest in a career in health care. The students observed various departments such as radiology, the emergency room, laboratory, physical and respiratory therapy, and the intensive care unit. They were given several objectives to meet during the course of the internship, such as understanding state privacy regulations, being knowledgeable about various professional roles in healthcare and working safely in the hospital environment.

The Med 101 program is available in the winter and spring on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since healthcare workers are always necessary, this program encourages interested high school students to pursue a healthcare career. Even though the students did not provide direct patient care, the observations were an eye-opening experience that enabled participants to see if they would enjoy this type of career.

The internship is geared for juniors who will be deciding on majors when filling out college applications next year. It also helps students decide what areas they were fond of or didn't like.

Students were tested on the fundamentals everyone needs to know to work in a hospital, such as safety, sterile precautions and various procedures.

"They all got 100 percent," said Judith Connelly, the nurse education director who supervised the interns.

Students were trained in CPR and first aid and will now be certified in those areas.

All interns were pleased with the outcome of the internship and left the program with a career plan.

"[The beginning of the program] was overwhelming," intern Shauna Flynn said. "When you walk in, it was huge. You get used to it once it starts."

Flynn recommended the program to any aspiring healthcare workers.

"It definitely helps with your career choice. It was good to see the different opportunities available in the hospital," she said. "It definitely helped to see this is really what I wanted to do."